Often singer-songwriters are more appreciated than singers who sing cover songs. Many think that singing a song is not particularly creative, even if they admire the vocal performance. But this way of thinking is based on a misconception. A good singer does not simply imitate a cover song. She makes it her own, her own song. Many stars in ...
Today I am addressing all of you who have not yet stood on stage and are wondering what the first steps there might be. Many of my singing students have developed a solid singing technique and know what kind of music they want to make and for which audience. They sing in choirs, in bands ...
You want to go on stage? First steps for singers Read more "
Have you ever tried to sing like that: with a full voice in a high register? We hear it all the time in rock and pop music, in soul, heavy metal or independent music: these high notes, full of power, passion, on the edge. This is "belting", a quality of sound or singing style that always captivates the audience.
I went on stage. Today was my record release concert, at the Frannz Club in Berlin. I had rehearsed a lot with my band Red On Blue in preparation for the big day, but I still had stage fright. During the last sound check, I had draped the lyrics of a few of my songs on the stage, near my ...
From time to time, singing students with previous classical experience come to my singing studio. They had previously taken classical singing lessons, but actually don't want to sing classical repertoire, but rock or pop songs. They have found that they cannot sing the songs with their classical singing technique or that their vocal "sound" does not suit them. Why is that? And ...
One singing technique for everything? Classical versus popular singing Read more "
"When I sing I always have a frog in my throat", "I'm still so slimy": I often hear that from my singing students. Do you also know that your voice is so busy? It's annoying, and maybe you wish that your throat was really dry for once, that your voice was completely free of "mucus", so that your notes could be ...
The parents of girls are often irritated when they hear that I only teach adults or teenagers after the voice change. They assume that voice change only occurs in boys. This is about as far-fetched as believing that only boys go through puberty. This blog post is about the question of ...
The world is full of undiscovered talent. These are people who, despite their talent, did not have a supportive environment for their musical talent or were discouraged at an early age. Many of them heard phrases from their parents at an early age like: "You have that certain something or you don't have it", "You have to be five years old to ...
When new students come for a trial lesson, the topic of choir often plays a role. Either the trial students already have choir experience and want to improve their voice and breathing technique or they would like to sing in a choir but do not yet feel vocally fit enough. In both cases I am happy to help. Together we look forward to ...
The Vocal Fry speaking The croaky, gravelly sound of the "vocal fry" was the subject of much online discussion some time ago. Offended radio listeners and TV viewers united on social media to show their disdain for celebrities and news reporters who use it. Others, however, find it sexy. Yet vocal fry when speaking has been used for ...
What is singing breathing and why is it best for singing? You have probably heard of the distinction between shallow chest breathing and deep abdominal or diaphragmatic breathing. Which of these two types of breathing is best for singing? The answer is: neither! The so-called speaking or ...
